This image was acquired from NASA's Skylab space station on
December 19, 1973. It shows one of the most spectacular
solar flares ever recorded, propelled by magnetic forces, lifting off
from the Sun. It spans more than 588,000 km (365,000
miles) of the solar surface. In this photograph, the solar poles are
distinguished by a relative absence of supergranulation
network, and a much darker tone than the central portions of the disk.
(Courtesy NASA)
(Bigger photo of the same solar flare)
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